workers’ compensation News

Workers’ Comp Claims from 10 Years of Legal Cannabis in Colorado Reveal a Boring Trend

Data on injured workers from the nation’s most mature adult-use cannabis market is pretty boring. No excessive claims resulting from injuries suffered by stoned forklift drivers, high cultivators, or even dispensary workers who were hurt during a robbery. How about …

Rhode Island High Court Revisits Exception to Workers’ Comp ‘Going-and-Coming’ Rule

The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently revisited the “going-and-coming” rule that generally excludes workers’ compensation benefits where an injured worker is traveling to or from work. The court has affirmed — and slightly modified— an exception to that rule concerning …

OSHA Investigating Collapse of Boston Power Plant; Builder Pauses All Projects in City

Firefighters in Boston worked for more than three hours to rescue an injured construction worker after part of a historic power plant collapsed Wednesday while being redeveloped. Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey told reporters the worker sustained life-threatening injuries when a …

Ouch. Massachusetts Worker Shoulders Burden of Injury Omitted From Lump Sum

A Massachusetts woman who signed a lump sum settlement with her workers’ compensation carrier over a right shoulder injury cannot later obtain benefits for a left shoulder injury linked to the same incident because she did not specifically mention the …

New Jersey Court Upholds State Regulator in Dispute With Applied Underwriters

The New Jersey insurance commissioner does not have to rely upon the state’s attorney general to bring a lawsuit against out-of-state insurers and their affiliates that it believes are violating state laws. Rather, the insurance department can bring an administrative …

TPA’s Quick Denials of First Responders’ Workers’ Comp Claims Draw Penalty

A workers’ compensation insurer must pay $100,000 under an agreement with Vermont state regulators because its claims administrator gave short shrift to claims for post-traumatic stress disorder and other occupational diseases. Acadia Insurance Co. on April 18 reached an agreement …

Massachusetts Approves 3.5% Workers’ Compensation Rate Decrease

The state’s insurance commissioner has approved an overall average decrease of 3.46% in workers’ compensation rates starting July 1, 2022 for Massachusetts businesses. Massachusetts businesses will save approximately $80 million under the settlement. The cut was negotiated after the industry’s …

Washington Foundry Cited for Dozens of Health and Safety Violations

A metal foundry and casting company in Walla Walla, Washington, faces a $93,600 fine for violating more than 40 health and safety regulations. A Washington State Department of Labor & Industries inspection reportedly found Walla Walla Foundry Inc. violated a …

California Contractor Arraigned for Workers’ Comp Fraud

Adan Deniz, 43, a contractor from Santa Clarita, California, was arraigned today on 21 felony counts of forgery, theft by false pretense, and workers’ compensation insurance fraud after allegedly creating fraudulent certificates to secure jobs and underreporting payroll by over …

Pennsylvania Approves 6.25% Workers’ Compensation Cost Cut

Workers’ compensation costs for employers in Pennsylvania are going down for the sixth straight year. Acting Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys approved a loss-cost filing, including a 6.25% reduction in loss costs, which should lead to lower premiums for many Pennsylvania …